The highly anticipated sequel to the hit film “Joker” struggled at the box office during its first weekend in theaters. “Joker: Folie à Deux,” which reunites Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, brought in around $20 million on its opening day. This placed the film on track to earn about $50 million during its first weekend, significantly below Warner Bros.’ predictions of $50-65 million.
The lackluster debut diverges sharply from the strong opening of the first “Joker” film. Released in 2019 with a modest $65 million budget, the original “Joker” made $96.2 million during its opening weekend and went on to earn over $1 billion globally. In contrast, analysts now estimate “Folie à Deux” may make less than half of the first film’s opening weekend gross. Some expect it could earn as little as $40 million.
Multiple factors seem to be hurting the sequel’s box office performance. At $200 million, “Folie à Deux” carries a much higher budget than its predecessor. This elevated financial risk is amplified by weaker reviews than the first film received. On Rotten Tomatoes, “Folie à Deux” holds a low 32% approval rating while the original earned widespread critical acclaim.
Audience reaction has also been poor according to CinemaScore, which gave “Folie à Deux” a rare D grade based on opening day viewers. This score places it below other recent comic book films like “Morbius” and indicates extremely negative word-of-mouth. Its struggles mirror other superhero sequels released this year like “The Flash” and “The Marvels,” which opened similarly but saw business drop off quickly.
If “Folie à Deux” follows a similar trajectory to these films, it could spell trouble for Warner Bros. The studio has dealt with a string of underperforming movies in recent months. One bright spot is Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice” sequel, which continues finding success in its fifth weekend with around $10 million expected to push its domestic total past $265 million.
As the opening weekend continues, all eyes will remain on “Joker: Folie à Deux” to see if it can recover from its disappointing start. But with high costs and lackluster early feedback, the sequel faces an uphill battle to match the financial success of its acclaimed predecessor.
